


What Would I Do (Without Your Smart Mouth)?

by callistawolf



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2014-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-09 16:45:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1990224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callistawolf/pseuds/callistawolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a mysterious year away, Oliver Queen has returned to Northwestern Pacific University and the whole school is abuzz.  Felicity Smoak is probably the only woman on campus not swooning over him but she doesn't want anything to be distracting her from her studies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my tumblr, this is for a college AU prompt I was filling for the Olicity Hiatus Project.

"Where are you at?" Sara's voice asked.  Felicity shifted her grip on her cellphone as she quickened her pace across the quad.  

"I just left the library," she replied.  The days were already shortening and classes had only just started the week before.  Only a month ago, the sun had still been shining at 8 o'clock at night but now, darkness was gathering quickly across the campus of Northwestern Pacific University.  Felicity spotted a few other students across the quad, hurrying to wherever they were headed. Everyone was in pairs or groups, she was the only one walking alone. 

"Lis!  You promised you'd start for the apartment before 7:30!" Sara chastised.  "Go back to the library, let me come pick you up."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sara.  You'd have to park and then walk to the library and that would mean _you_ walking alone in the dark," she pointed out.  "The apartment is just a few blocks away, I'll be there before you know it." 

"Alright, just… stay on the phone with me okay?"

Felicity chuckled, rolling her shoulder to better secure her knapsack as she passed the student services building and pushing her glasses up her nose with her free hand.  "Sure will.  Will help the time pass quicker, right? Wanna play Twenty Questions?" 

"Lis, don't be a pain in the ass.  You know what's been going on, you've seen the fliers around campus.  Attacks on students, especially single _female_ students, are quadruple what they were last year or the year before or the year before that."

"Yeah, like you said, I've seen the fliers.  Sara, I'm sure it'll be fine," she assured her best friend and roommate.  Even so, she picked up the pace, walking quicker as she neared the western border of campus.  The apartment complex they lived in was just a block over from Danbury Hall.  If she didn't dawdle, she could be there in five minutes.  Seven minutes, tops. 

"Why on earth didn't you leave earlier?" Sara wanted to know. 

"I was making great progress with this string of code for my midterm project.  I didn't want to lose momentum."

She could almost hear Sara rolling her eyes.  "It is a _Friday_ night. I'm pretty sure its illegal to be working on homework or even be _in_ the library at all on a Friday night.  And midterms aren't for another month and a half.  Pace yourself!"

"You know I'd rather be working code than guarding my drink against roofies at a frat party any night of the week."

"Yeah… about that…" Sara drawled.  

"Oh, no.  Sara!"

"It's not a frat party!  Just a little get together at Laurel's place.  Please? I don't want to go alone.  We promised each other, remember?" 

Felicity sighed, looking both ways before quickly crossing the street in front of Danbury Hall, her blonde ponytail swinging behind her.  When she'd first come to NPU the year before and met Sara, the two of them had become instant friends as well as roommates.  It had been Felicity's first time away from Starling City and home and her parents and she'd been excited, scared and more than a little homesick.  Sara was on her second year at the time but had had such a rough first year that she hadn't even wanted to return for her sophomore year. It was sheer luck that had put them both together in that dorm room last year.  They'd promised each other that they had each other's backs, that they'd never let the other go to a party alone.  

"I can't believe you're bringing that up," Felicity whined. 

"Please, Lis?  Laurel really wants me to be there and I don't want to go alone."

Laurel was Sara's older sister.  She'd graduated from NPU the spring before but was now enrolled in the pre-law program as a graduate student.  Laurel was nice enough, but Felicity had almost nothing in common with her.  She was taller, poised, sleek and slender and achingly gorgeous. The year before, they'd gone to a few parties at Laurel's place and then later other parties with both Laurel and Tommy (who was either her friend or her boyfriend, Felicity could never quite tell which).   Sara and her sister were still close, despite being so different in personality and Felicity envied a little that sibling relationship.  She was an only child without even so much as a close cousin to relate to. 

"Alright, fine.  Let me get there first, okay?" She moved even quicker now that she'd left campus and was now walking through the neighborhood that surrounded the west side of campus.  It was darker here with less streetlights.  Luckily, she could see the apartment complex just up ahead.  

"Yay!  Thank you, Lis.  You're the best!" Sara enthused.  "Are you almost here yet?"

"Nearly there," Felicity affirmed.  I can see the windows of our unit."

Just then, the curtains parted and she saw Sara's blonde head peek out.  Her friend waved through the glass at her and she waved back.  

"Okay, I'm hanging up.  See you in a minute!"  Felicity ended the call and tucked the phone in her jeans pocket as she approached the stairwell that led to their second floor apartment.  She had her keys out and ready as she got to the door, opening it and breathing a small sigh of relief.  She hadn't realised how worried she'd actually become about walking across campus alone in the dark until now, when she was home safe. She was letting Sara get to her too much, clearly. 

The apartment wasn't very large, but it was plenty big enough for the both of them.  There was a living area with a small kitchen off of it and two bedrooms and a bathroom that they fought over constantly. The walls were still bare; they'd only been moved in for two weeks now.  But already, the small apartment felt like home.  

"I'm here!" she called out as she walked into the living area, dropping her knapsack on the sofa.  

Sara bounced out of her room, holding a few outfits still on their hangers.   "Which one, do you think?" 

Felicity paused and considered.  Both were ridiculously teeny and guaranteed to display more skin than they covered.  "Where on earth did you get those?" Normally, Sara dressed a bit more like Felicity herself did, casually and relatively conservatively. 

She shrugged and considered the dresses herself with pursed lips. "Laurel took me shopping over the summer," she said.  "She told me I look amazing in these." 

Felicity chuckled.  "I can't deny that's probably true.  But I'm going to look very underdressed next to you."

"Uh uh!  Whichever one I'm not wearing, you're going to wear the other one!"

She knew better than to argue with her friend.  Sara could be incredibly persuasive when she wanted something and Felicity didn't care enough to put up a fight about it.  "In that case, I'll wear the blue one," she said, pointing at the scrap of midnight blue fabric that hung off one of the hangers. 

"Oooh, nice choice!  I think the coral will look better on me anyhow," Sara gushed, shaking the sequined dress and waggling her brows. 

"Everything looks good on you," Felicity remarked, eyeing her friends petite but curvy figure.  

They helped each other get ready and did each other's hair.  Sara insisted that Felicity wear her contacts instead of her glasses.  She grumbled, the contacts always made her eyes sore by the end of the night, but acquiesced.  Within record time, they were both ready to go and admiring each other's handiwork in the mirror.  

"Watch out boys!" Sara cried, patting the undo Felicity had constructed for her, complete with curling tendrils around her neck. 

"You expect there to be boys there?" 

Her friend gave her a deadpan look.  "It _is_ a party, Lis.  And my sister knows some pretty hot men.  Plus, I heard Oliver is going to be there." 

Ahh, the infamous Oliver Queen.  As soon as she'd come to Northwestern Pacific University the year before, she'd heard stories about him.  He'd been off on a year abroad and somehow, his absence only served to make his legend grow.  Felicity didn't know a lot of actual facts about the man, only that he'd been Laurel's on again/off again boyfriend since they'd both hit puberty, he was richer than God (or rather, his family was so he was as well by extension), he was a notorious party boy and serial womanizer and he was apparently larger than life if the stories were to be believed.  Even if Felicity hadn't had the inside line being best friends and roommates with Oliver's ex-girlfriend's sister, she'd have had to lived in a cave not to have heard about him last year.  

Now it looked like she was finally going to meet the man, the myth, the legend.  She fought a snort and Sara caught her eye in the bathroom mirror as they put the finishing touches on their makeup.  "I saw that," she said with an eyebrow quirk. 

"Just can't wait to see if he lives up to the hype," Felicity quipped, as she applied a layer of gloss over her lipstick and stood back to survey the results.  

"Be careful you don't fall under his spell like all my other friends always have.  I've lost more friends to that guy…"

"I don't think you have a thing to worry about," she assured her.  "I'm not remotely interested in getting swept up in some guy's ego."

"Tell me that after you see him up close and in person."


	2. Chapter 2

Luckily, Laurel was renting an apartment in the same complex so they didn't have far to go and they didn't have to worry about driving either.  That meant they both could drink whatever they liked without care.  Or, too much care, actually.  Felicity wasn't a huge drinker, usually, but she did like to let down her hair at parties. 

Speaking of, she had her hair down tonight.  Sara had talked her into letting her curl it with the hot iron so that it fell in soft waves around her shoulders.  The relaxed style went nicely with the dress which hugged her hips, abdomen and breasts but fell in soft draping loops of fabric at her neck and the small of her back.  The hem was high on her thighs and she reminded herself to be careful bending over for the remainder of the night.  Sara had talked her into a pair of tall heels in a matching color and Felicity rather felt like she was a fashion model straight off the runway in Paris rather than the nerdy Computer Science major that she really was. 

Together, she and Sara walked down the stairs and the short distance across the complex to the building Laurel's apartment was located in.  She had a ground floor place, two bedrooms even though she was the only one who lived there.  Sara knocked on the door and Felicity could hear the muffled sounds of music and people talking and laughing through the door before it opened to reveal Sara's perfect sister.  "You guys made it!" she said, opening the door further and gesturing them both inside. 

"I told you we would!" Sara replied, giving her sister a quick hug.  

"Hey, I recognize those dresses," Laurel remarked, smiling a little at both her sister and her.  Felicity fidgeted a little with the hem. 

"I'm sorry, Sara insisted I wear one of them and I didn't have anything else really and…" 

"Felicity!  It's okay!  That color looks good on you," she assured her.  

She smiled gratefully.  "Thanks."  

Laurel, of course, looked perfect.  She wore a sophisticated looking brown sweater dress that matched her caramel colored tresses which, like Felicity's, waved loosely around her shoulders.  Her makeup was impeccable and Felicity no longer felt like she was a runway model.  She felt like a poor impostor compared to Laurel's perfection.  Then she remembered; she didn't care about being perfect. 

"Looking good, girls!" a cheerful voice boomed.  Tommy, the guy she suspected Laurel was seeing seriously even if they never were obvious about it, came up to them, slinging an arm around Laurel's shoulders.  She smiled indulgently at him.  "Glad you could come."

"Good to see you again, Tommy.  Hey, where's your pal?" Sara asked. 

"Oliver?  Not here yet.  Said something came up but he's on his way.  I had him drop by the liquor store for some more wine coolers for the freshmen on his way," Tommy explained.  

Tommy Merlyn was a good looking guy, a little slice of Cary Grant in a Frat Boy package.  He had dark, carefully styled hair and glittering green eyes and a crooked grin that could make any co-ed's knees go weak.  Felicity had met him the previous year, at another one of Laurel's parties.  She knew he was best friends with Oliver Queen and had been since the two had been in diapers, practically.  Both of their families were ridiculously wealthy which might explain how they'd run in similar circles at such an early age.  Not for the first time, Felicity wondered at the story between Tommy and Laurel and how Oliver fit into the whole thing.  It was almost like being exposed to a real life soap opera.  It figured that perfect Laurel would have perfect men in her life.

As Tommy and Laurel moved away to mingle with the rest of the guests, Felicity and Sara headed to the kitchen to get some alcohol.  She looked around her and smiled; if ever an apartment was a reflection on someone, Laurel's suited her to a T.  She'd been living there for several years now and her style was represented in each room, from the trendy furnishings, to the whimsical posters to the color coordinated plates in the kitchen.  Felicity wondered if Laurel had been born middle-aged and responsible.  Briefly, she tried to mesh what she knew of Laurel with what she'd heard about Oliver Queen and wondered how on earth those two had ever gotten together to begin with. 

The apartment was already full of people, students of all ages, drinking and chatting and a few dancing over by the sound system.  The patio doors were opened and she saw a few people outside, drinking out of red plastic cups and laughing.  It was a typical college party, if a little more subdued than some of the raves Sara usually dragged her along to. 

Soon, red plastic cups were pressed into both of their hands and Felicity sipped at the lukewarm beer as she and Sara talked to a few people they knew.  She was starting to feel a little bored, however, and wished she was at home with her comfy pjs and her laptop and an all-night marathon of "Doctor Who".  Before she could give Sara her best puppy dog eyes, her friend was plucking her cup out of her hands and dragging her to where everyone was dancing.  

Felicity didn't want to brag but she had some moves.  Team sports might have never been her forte, but all those dance lessons her parents had sent her to when she was a kid had evidently paid off because she could grind it on a dance floor like the best of them.  Which was just what she was doing, making Sara hoot with laughter, when a hush fell across the party.  Everyone's head swiveled towards the door at once and Felicity could hear Tommy cheerful voice above everyone else's. 

"There's my man!" he announced.  That had to mean Oliver Queen had arrived at last.  

She turned to roll her eyes at Sara but her friend was already moving away from the stereo and towards the epicenter of the commotion, dragging her along after her by the hand.   The party goers parted before them until they stood before Tommy and a man she'd never seen before.  

He was _big_.  That was her first impression.  Standing a couple inches taller than Tommy himself (who wasn't by any means short), he was also just _bigger._ The t-shirt he wore was stretched across broad shoulders and defined muscles on his chest.  The jeans he wore were tight in all the right places.  And that was just his body.  He was smiling affectionately at Tommy, an easy grin spread across his features.  Felicity saw a square jaw, roughened by stubble, straight, white teeth, and sparkling eyes, such an impossible shade of blue that she thought for a moment they couldn't be real.  His hair was short as well, the same sandy light brown as his stubble, and it looked as though it'd been shaved down to the head several months ago and was still growing in.  All in all, he radiated _man_ and her mouth watered in spite of herself. 

"Ollie!" Sara cried, launching herself at the Adonis.  He caught her easily, swinging her around in a tight hug. 

"Little bit!" he returned happily.  "Good to see you, kid.  It's been ages."

"It has," she affirmed as he set her back down, her eyes shining at him.  Then she turned to Felicity who was feeling rather awkward watching this friendly reunion.  "Ollie, I want you to meet my best friend and roommate, Felicity Smoak.  Felicity, this is Oliver Queen."

He turned his cerulean gaze on her and she knew a flirtatious grin when she saw one.  She fought a flush as his eyes traveled down over her and back up again.  "Well, hello, gorgeous.  Why haven't I seen you before?"

Felicity fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I transferred last year, while you were away," she explained.  She thought she saw a shadow cross his features at the mention of his being away last year but it cleared as quickly as it came.  

"I think you owe me a dance, then.  I always dance with all the pretty girls," he replied, winking at her.  She might have been affected if the gesture wasn't so blatantly obvious.  

"That's what I hear, anyhow," she mumbled.  Sara elbowed her sharply in the side, catching her eye.  Her friend nodded her head towards Oliver who was looking at her as though she was a curiosity. 

"Pardon me?" he asked. 

"She said she'd be glad to," Sara supplied, pushing Felicity towards Oliver.  

She glared back at her friend as Oliver took her by the hand and lead her back over to where everyone was dancing.  Sara just waved her fingers at her as she went into the kitchen to fetch herself another drink, leaving Felicity alone with Oliver Queen, the ladies man. 

The music currently playing was some song that'd been playing on everyone's radio for the last few weeks.  It wasn't the best song for dance.  Or rather, it wasn't the best song for dancing when you didn't know sick dance moves, which Felicity definitely did.  Before Oliver could get his hands on her, she started to dance. 

As she closed her eyes and let her hips move to the music, she tried to ignore the knowledge that the hottest man she'd ever seen in her life was standing there watching her.  Because, god help her, she found him unbelievably attractive.  Like any other girl, she'd always noticed cute guys but it was always in a detached sort of way.  She'd had boyfriends and been attracted to them.  But she'd never felt that instant, chemical, magnetic attraction like she read about in cheesy romance novels.  Until she met Oliver Queen.  

Still, his reputation far preceded him and she wasn't about to let herself get pulled in to the black hole that was his charm.  She was tougher than that.  So her best option at this moment in time was to pretend he wasn't even there.  The rhythm of the song washed over her as she moved to the beat.  Good thing this was a short song, then she'd be off the hook for the rest of the night.  

She felt a pair of warm hands on her hips and she knew it was him.  Her eyes snapped open, meeting Oliver's intense blue gaze.  "What do you think you're doing," she asked, raising her voice over the music. 

"Dancing.  With you."  His lips curved up just slightly at the corners, belying his amusement. 

Felicity pushed his hands off her hips.  "Hands to yourself, mister."

One of his eyebrows flew up and he looked genuinely surprised. "I don't think that was in the list of rules," he told her.  "Besides, how can I keep to myself when you look so good dancing right in front of me."

She rolled her eyes.  "I don't know, maybe a little self control?" 

Now, his brows drew together.  "What's your deal, anyhow?  Most girls kind of enjoy when I put my hands on them."

"I'm not most girls," she informed him.  She was still moving to the music, just slower now and she caught the way his eyes kept trying to drift down to her hips. 

"I'm starting to see that," he murmured thoughtfully.  For a moment, his expression was different.  Not the cocky, arrogant ladies man, but something _more_ and she very nearly commented on it before his eyes shuttered again and he flashed another trademark grin at her. 

Lucky for her, the song ended just then and she was released from her obligation.  Giving him a tight smile, Felicity turned and walked to the kitchen to get herself another drink.  Oliver followed close behind. 

"Wait a minute, where are you going?" he asked as the next song, a quick paced number, started up and the masses began to bounce and vibrate around them. 

"To get a drink," she tossed over her shoulder.  "Song's over, playboy.  Go find someone else to dance with." 

Felicity was just going to pretend that the sound of him sputtering behind her wasn't incredibly gratifying. 

"You don't have to run off!  Let's talk!" he suggested. 

"Sorry, I'm not much in the mood for conversation," she apologized.  She grabbed a red plastic cup from the kitchen counter and filled it from the keg that stood in the corner.  Sara was standing next to the keg, chatting with one of Laurel's friends.  Her eyes widened as she caught the exchange between them. 

"Then how about another dance?  Come on," he wheedled. 

She took a long drink of the lukewarm beer, fighting a shudder.  "You _come on_.  I danced with you like I said I would, that'll have to hold you.  I'm sure any number of the bubble headed women here would be happy to have the honor from here on out," she pointed out.  A few of the women who were lurking in the kitchen, clearly hoping to catch Oliver's eye, glared at her. 

Sara caught her eye and sent her a questioning look.  Clearly, she thought Felicity should be more receptive to Oliver's advances.  Stubbornly, she kept her back to him until she heard him move out of the kitchen.  Then she exhaled noisily.  Sara stepped up and put the back of her hand to Felicity's forehead. 

"Are you feeling okay?"

She pushed her hand away.  "Stop that.  I'm fine."

"You just turned Oliver down.  It sounds like you turned him down more than once."

"So?"  She took another drink of her beer, draining the cup.  

" _No one_ turns down Oliver Queen.  Like, ever.  I'm pretty sure what you just did has never happened to that man."

Felicity snorted.  "Then I'd say it was high time."


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the evening went predictably.  One of Oliver's buddies from when he'd been on the football team showed up not too long after the Dance Incident.  His name was John Diggle and he was also a legend around campus but this time because of his prowess on the field.  The man was built like a mountain but had the face of an angel.  And Sara took one look at him and Felicity was completely forgotten after that.  She mingled with a few people she knew from classes, but mostly kept to herself.  As the clock passed midnight, the inside of the apartment was stuffy and unbearable so she slipped out onto the patio to get some fresh air. 

Unfortunately, she didn't realize until she was already out there that she wasn't alone.  Oliver and Laurel were there, enmeshed in a heated conversation.  Felicity kept to the shadows at the edge of the patio, trying not to notice them or overhear what they were saying.  She just wanted some fresh air, that was all. 

"You've changed, Ollie.  Since you're back, you're not the same," Laurel was saying, not bothering to check the volume of her voice. 

"I know that, Laurel.  But you keep expecting me to be the same as I was before.  I can't go back," he was saying in a low voice.  

This sounded like a deep, tense conversation and Felicity began to deeply regret coming out here.  Neither of them seemed to have noticed her at all, however.  That was a small favor. 

"That's just as well.  I'm with Tommy now," Laurel announced. 

"I know.  And I'm glad.  You… you're good together, I think," he replied.  

There was a tense pause and Felicity wondered if Laurel had been expecting a larger reaction from Oliver over learning about her and Tommy.  But surely she couldn't have expected it to be a revelation.  Nearly everyone on campus knew that Laurel and Tommy had been seeing each other, after all.  Maybe she thought that Oliver would be jealous.  It definitely didn't sound as though he were though. 

"I suppose this means we're really over this time?" she asked. 

"I suppose it does." 

There was a sniffling noise and Felicity wondered if Laurel was crying.  She had a hard wrapping her head around it.  She'd been involved with the biggest manwhore on campus and she expected… what, exactly?  She fought a sigh of annoyance.  The melodrama was getting thick out here.  

"Fine.  Goodbye, Oliver," Laurel said in clipped tones as she let herself back into the stuffy apartment, leaving Felicity alone on the patio with Oliver.  Well, shit.  She clearly hadn't thought this through.  She should have escaped when she had the chance.  There was no hope that he wouldn't notice her out there now. 

"That could have gone smoother," he muttered, turning and walking over to where she stood at the porch railing.  He smiled a little ruefully at her.  

Felicity looked at him sharply.  "You knew I was out here?"

"Of course I did," Oliver said, leaning against the railing on his elbows and looking out across the grassy grounds of the apartment complex courtyard.  

"Good ears," she remarked, turning her gaze outwards again.  

"So why wouldn't you hang out with me earlier?" he wanted to know. 

"Your reputation precedes you, Oliver Queen," she told him.  "I have no interest in being another notch on your bedpost."

"Belt.  I don't bring women back to my bed," he corrected her. 

Felicity fought a shudder.  "See, that's what I'm talking about.  Sorry, loverboy, I have more self respect than that."

"Well, maybe I just wanted to get to know you better.  Be your friend."

"Your friend?"  She laughed until she had to hold her side.  "Have you even ever had a girl as just a friend?"

Oliver looked a little insulted.  "No.  But don't you think that means I'm past due?" 

"No, I think it means you're incapable."

"You don't think very much of me, do you?" he asked, his voice quiet now. If she didn't know any better, she might think he was hurt. 

"I haven't seen much to tell me otherwise, Oliver.  The first thing you do is come onto me, insist I dance with you… You give me your playboy grin and some stupid lines and I'm sorry, I'm just not interested in that," she explained. 

There was quiet between them for a moment and she had the impression he was digesting what she'd said.  Maybe there _was_ more to him than he let on.  If that was the case, why did he hide it?  

"That sounds fair enough," he finally said.  "Most people are plenty happy with the playboy grin and stupid lines, I'll have you know."

"And as I said before, I'm not most people."  

He didn't answer her after that and after a few more minutes in shared silence, she let herself back into the apartment to find Sara, leaving him standing at the balcony. 

She found her roommate was in a circle of students who were gathered around John Diggle, listening as he shared one of his football stories.  It involved tackling the opposing team's quarterback before he could throw the ball, winning the game for their team.  Everyone hung on his every word and there were no small amount of appreciative females hanging off his enormous biceps. He grinned, enjoying the attention and she couldn't help but notice the starry look in Sara's eye as she watched him.  Felicity tugged on her hand to get her attention.  

"Can we go now?" she asked.  She used her best puppy dog eyes and watched Sara sigh and make a face. 

"Fine.  We can go.  But next party, we're staying until I'm ready to leave." 

"Deal."  If Felicity had her way, it'd be a good long while until they went to another party.  Maybe long enough that Sara would forget this deal. 

Sara said goodnight to Laurel and a few other people she knew from classes and together they left Laurel's apartment.  As they walked across the complex to their own apartment, Felicity looked back over her shoulder and saw the dark silhouette of Oliver, still standing at the porch railing, staring out into the dark.  


	4. Chapter 4

Felicity would love to say that she didn't think once about Oliver Queen after that party.  But that would be a lie.  She thought of him more often than was probably wise, and often at odd and inconvenient times.  Such as when she was in the shower, or laying awake in bed or when trying to concentrate in class on Monday morning.  She reasoned with herself it was only because he was drop dead gorgeous and that it had nothing to do with the way she was already interested in what was making this man tick. 

Still, her thoughts of him were mostly abstract.  Or at least they _were_ until he joined them for lunch on Monday afternoon.  Felicity had come right to the dining hall directly after her American Experiences class and saw that Sara had their usual table saved.  It was located next to a plate glass window overlooking the campus pond and was one of the nicest seats in the house.  They tried to command that table at each meal they ate on campus; generally every lunch a few dinners on nights where they had night classes.  

Laurel and Tommy ate with them as well, and had since last year.  A few other mutual friends drifted in and out at times but today, the extra seats were filled with with the muscled bodies of Oliver Queen and John Diggle.  The three men were joking with one another and Sara and Laurel were discussing something.  For the first time since her very first week at Northwestern Pacific University, Felicity felt awkward and out of place where she should have been feeling anything but. John was in the seat next to Sara that she would have normally sat in, leaving an open seat next to Oliver and across from Sara.  She stood back from the table, eyeing it with a little apprehension. 

Oliver looked up to see her standing there, her lip caught between her teeth and he smiled but it wasn't the fake cheesy grin he'd given her at the party the other night. This was a genuine smile.  

He gestured at the seat next to him, "Have a seat, princess."

Felicity flushed a little, but since there wasn't much else in the way of options, did as he said, setting her tray down on the table before sinking into the chair. 

"Is that all you're having?" Oliver asked, gesturing at her plate with a fork.  She'd put together a salad from the salad bar which is what she generally had for lunch.  A glass of cranberry juice made it a fine meal, she thought. 

"Don't get on her case, Ollie," Laurel chastised.  She was smiling and the tension between them that had been there at the party seemed to have disappeared.  

"Yeah, a salad is a fine meal," Sara defended, taking a bite of her own sandwich.  "Lis knows what she's doing."

"That… is girl food," John pronounced.  But then he smiled at her, a grin wide enough to split his face.  He held out an enormous hand for her to shake.  "I don't think we got to meet properly the other night.  John Diggle."

"Hi," she said, shaking his hand.  His hand completely enveloped hers.  "Felicity Smoak."

"Oh, I've heard all about you," the big man said, chuckling good-naturedly. Oliver shot him a glare that looked an awful lot like warning.  

To fight her flush from returning, she started to attack her salad.  It'd been hours since the bagel she'd had on her way out of the apartment for her 8am class.  The conversations picked back up again, and she listened in on Sara and Laurel planning a trip to the mall later in the week to spend a gift card that Sara had gotten for her birthday a few weeks ago.  

"You wanna go with, Lis?" Sara asked.  "You know I trust your opinion of what colors look best with my skin tone more than anyone else's."

"Sure.  I was thinking about looking for a new blouse soon anyhow."

The boys were talking football and there was mention of a local bar that she'd been to a few times with Sara the year before and Felicity didn't pay much attention to them.  But she was constantly aware of Oliver next to her.  His hand rested on the edge of his chair, nearest her and his knuckles were centimeters away from brushing against her leg.  Did she want to feel that touch or did she dread it?  Why was she even thinking about this anyhow? 

She'd already established with herself the other night that he was just another guy, and exactly the sort of guy she didn't need to get involved with on top of everything.  She didn't need to get involved with anyone this year.  She was taking a full load of classes and they weren't easy courses either.  Her professors were all pretty tough and she really wanted to do well and score a good internship for the summer.  

The rest of lunch passed without much incident and she had to tell herself that she was imagining Oliver's attention on her.  It was only because he'd been on her mind lately and she'd sat next to him and maybe it'd been too long since she'd been on a date.  That had to be it.  Still, more than once she caught him smiling at her and a few times he even teased her, making everyone else at the table chuckle. Finally, he resorted to low tactics.

Dipping his fingers into Laurel's water glass, he flicked the droplets from his digits at her, speckling her glasses.  "I knew I could get you wet," he remarked, smug grin in place as she took her glasses off and wiped them with a napkin.  

After the lenses were cleared, Felicity replaced them on her nose and turned to him with an overly sweet smile. "But not where it counts."

Tommy and Dig erupted into loud guffaws and the smirk slid off Oliver's face as Sara pumped a fist in the air.  "Oh!  You got burned, Ollie!"

Felicity tried not to gloat too much.  Oliver looked like he didn't know whether to be impressed or annoyed so he was a rather amusing combination of the two.  

Glancing at her cell phone screen, she saw it was ten minutes until her programming class began. "I gotta get going, guys," she announced, getting to her feet and grabbing her knapsack and her tray.  

"Where are you headed?" Oliver asked, looking up. 

"The business building," she told him.  "I've got Programming Languages, Concepts and Implementation at one o'clock."

One of his eyebrows went up and he looked at Tommy who stared at Felicity as though she was a mythical creature.  

"What?" she asked, feeling a little self conscious.  Dig just smirked and Sara and Laurel exchanged grins. 

"Nothing!" Tommy insisted.  "That just sounds very… involved."

"Right," she murmured skeptically.  "Well, I'll see you all later." 

Felicity turned and walked towards the exit, dumping her tray in the tray return slot on her way.  She was pushing out the doors to the dining hall when she heard footsteps pound up behind her.  

"Wait up, I'll walk you."

She turned, shielding a hand over her eyes to see Oliver jogging up to her.  He had a book bag over his shoulder so she assumed he was headed to class as well. "You're going in that direction?"

He shrugged a shoulder easily. "More or less."  They walked in silence for a minute before he spoke up again. "That's a pretty impressive sounding class you're headed to.  What are you majoring in?"

"Computer Science," she replied, pushing her glasses up where they'd slipped down her nose.  "I'm a bit of a computer geek." 

Oliver didn't look at her, just bobbed her head. "You must be pretty smart then.  Those are some tough classes."

"I like them," she replied.  "What about you.  What's your major?  Are you getting your Masters?"

"Not quite," he mumbled.  "I missed last year and before that… well, I wasn't the best student anyhow.  I'm on the last year of my business degree.  But I'll be going for an MBA after that."

"Business, eh?  That's nothing to sneeze at," she remarked. 

He looked a little uncomfortable.  "It's what my parents want.  My dad, really.  They want me to 'step up' with the family business."

Ahh.  Queen Consolidated.  No Starling City girl worth her salt didn't know about QC.  Her dad, in fact, had worked in their IT department until just this last year.  "That makes sense.  Still, it's a little sad that you don't get much choice in the rest of your life," she said, kicking at a pebble in the middle of the walkway.  

Oliver looked at her, surprised. "That's exactly it.  I understand why, but it just feels like they have my whole future planned out for me. It's a little…" He trailed off and she saw his jaw clench as he looked up at the cloudless sky.  

"Frustrating?" she supplied.  

He grinned at her, his head cocked adorably to the side and she felt the warmth of his smile wash over her in a way the mid-day sun was unable to.  "You're the best, Felicity."

She allowed herself to bask in his compliment for a moment before she looked away and walked with renewed vigor towards the business building.  "I'm still not letting you in my pants, Oliver," she told him. 

"What?  Why would you say that?  I'm not trying to get into your pants," he protested, quickening his pace to keep up with her. 

"You try to get in everyone's pants," she pointed out.  

"Yeah, but not yours."

Felicity reminded herself that she didn't want Oliver trying to get in her pants, but something about being the only woman on campus that he wasn't actively trying to put the moves on, hit her wrong.  She shifted her backpack to her older shoulder and still felt uncomfortable. 

Oliver must have noticed her demeanor.  "What?  What's wrong?"

"Nothing.  Not a thing."  The business building was looming before them, just a few minutes until she could make a getaway.  

"No, something's bugging you.  I can see the little gears going behind those glasses of yours," he said and he was smirking at her.  That made it worse, somehow. 

"Don't pretend for a minute that you care what's going on in my head," she snapped, pulling the entrance door open before he could do it for her. 

"Has anyone ever told you that you're completely infuriating?" he asked. 

"Once or twice." 

His snort of laughter rang off the walls of the corridor that lead to her class.  "That, I believe."

Felicity stopped in front of a door and started to open it before turning to Oliver.  He shifted on his feet and looked at her.  "Thanks for walking me to class, though."

He shrugged nonchalantly.  Just then, a tall, sleek and leggy brunette brushed past them on her way down the hall.  She looked over her shoulder, making eye contact with Oliver who stared after her as though she was a glass of water and he was dying in the desert.  Felicity fought the urge to roll her eyes. 

"Just go after her," she muttered. 

His eyes swept back to her and he immediately affected an innocent expression.  "What'd you say?"

This time, she did roll her eyes.  "Go bag the brunette, Romeo," she told him, giving him a shove in the direction the gorgeous girl had gone in.  

He tossed her a crooked grin and winked before setting off down the hall.  Sighing, Felicity pulled the door open the rest of the way and entered the classroom, taking her usual seat in the middle of the classroom.  As she leafed through her notebook to where she'd left off in her notes during the last class, she told her herself she should be glad that Oliver Queen lusted after every other woman on campus. One less thing for her to worry about.  Because if he was busy lusting after other girls, he wouldn't be focused on her.  And she wouldn't have to worry about getting sucked into his web. 

She dug through her bag, looking for a pen and finding nothing but a few gum wrappers.  "Shit," she muttered under her breath. Sara must have borrowed a pen out and not put it back.  Typical. 

"Need a pen?" a voice at her elbow asked.  Felicity snapped up and saw someone had sat down next to her.  A very cute someone, in fact.  He held out a pen towards her.

He had glittering green eyes which smiled before the expression reached his mouth.  Then his lips pulled up in a crooked grin and she found herself smiling back.  "Thank you!  You're a lifesaver," she said, taking the pen from him. 

"Barry.  Allen."  He held out a hand for her to shake.  

She slipped her hand into his.  "Felicity.  Smoak."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that there is not more of the story. If you're interested in reading what my thoughts were for what would come next (I never wrote out a full outline, which is probably why I wasn't interested in finishing this... I work best off an outline), please check out [this tumblr post](http://callistawolf.tumblr.com/post/109127542812/i-was-wondering-if-you-were-planning-on-continuing).


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